Railway-track construction.



J. W. BLDWER.

RAILWAY TRACK CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIUATION FILED umzs, 1910.

954, 1 63. Rammed Apr. 5, 1910.

Q/Whwoma 6656/ 3206067 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH W. BLOWER, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

RAILWAY-TRACK- CONSTRUCTION.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH WV. BLOWER, a citizen of the United States,residing at C0- lumbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-TrackConstruction, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway track construction and the objects of myinvention are to provide improved means for supporting and retainingtrack rails in connection with the ties; to provide improved means forcompensating for the wear on track rails about track curves and thusmaintaining the proper gage of the track rails on curves and to produceother improvements the details of which will be more fully pointed outhereinafter. These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a transverse section of atrack rail showing partially in section and partially in elevation, aportion of one of my improved ties, Fig. 2 is a detail view inperspective of portions of the track rail at its intersection with thetie, Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line acm of Fig. 1, and, Fig. 4is a detail view in perspective of a-tongue thimble which I employ inthe manner hereinafter described.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

1 represents a railway tie body or rail, which is preferably formed of asection of railway track rail of the usual T-form, each end of said tierail being preferably bent upward and outward as indicated at 1 in themanner and for the reasons set forth in a pending application filed ofeven date herewith. As also described in said co-pending application, Iprovide the upper side or ball of the tie rail at a point on each sideof the center of the length thereof, with an inwardly projecting tongue2 which overhangs the body of the rail and between which and the body ofthe rail is formed a recess 8. This recess is designed to receive theouter base flange 45 of a track rail 4, which crosses the tietransversely. In order to further retain the rail 4: in connection withthe tie, I form through the ball 1 of the tie rail at a suitabledistance on the inner side of each of the tongues 2 a vertical opening 5which leads into an opening 6 in the web 1 of the Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed. January 28, 1910.

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

Serial No. 540,575.

tie rail. Into this opening 5 is adapted to be inserted the shank orstem portion of a locking pin 8, said pin being as indicated moreclearly in Fig. 3 of the drawing, split centrally toward its lower endupward to form two separated members 8*, the lower ends of which whenthe pin is driven downward throughthe openings 5 and 6, contact with themetal forming the web 1 at the bottom of the opening 6 and spread onopposite sides thereof. The head or upper end of theopening 8 is formedwith a laterally projecting portion 8 which engages the upper side ofthe inner base flange 4' of the track rail.

It will be understood that the recess 3 and opening 5 toward one end ofthe tie are arranged at such distances from the corresponding recess andopening toward the op posite end of the tie, as to insure themaintenance of the proper gage between the track rails. However, it iswell known that where track rails are curved to afford a change ofdirection of the track, the swinging of the car trucks and theconsequent additional lateral bearing of the wheel flanges against theinner sides of the rail sections, results in the wearing of said railsections until the standard or proper gage between the parallel trackrails, is lost. In order to compensate for this change of gage in thetrack rails on curves, I provide oblong and tapering metallic thimblesor sleeves 9, the openings or sockets of which are shaped to conform tothe shapes of the tongues 2. Then rails on a curve of the track becomeworn for the reasons. set forth, it is obvious that the locking pins 8may be temporarily withdrawn and the thimbles 9 slipped over the tietongues 2 in the manner indicated in Fig. l of the drawing. This fittingof the thimbles over said tie tongues, results in a substantialenlargement of the tongues and a reduction in the height of the recesses3, thereby limiting the degree of insertion of the outer flange of thetrack rail within said recesses and resulting in the track rail beingshifted toward the opposing rail. In this manner the gage of the worntrack'rails is again restored. As this inward movement of the trackrails, however, must result in the track base flanges 4t extendingpartially over the pin openings 5 in the ball of the tie rails, Iuncover said pin holes to permit of the reinsertion of the locking pins,by forming in the inner base flange of the track rail a recess such asis indicated at 4 in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

It is obvious that the provision of the thimbles 9 and the track railrecesses 4 will also permit of the substitution of track rail sectionsof different sizes or weights or in which the base flanges vary inwidth.

From the construction and operation which I have described it will bereadily understood that a strong and durable railway track is providedand that novel means are employed in connection therewith forcompensating for the wear on curved track rails and for the use of trackrails and base flanges of different widths.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that simple andeflicientmeans are herein provided for accomplishing the objects of theinvention, but while the elements shown and described are well adaptedto serve the purposes for which they are intended, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the precise constructionset forth, but includes within its purview such changes as may be madewithin the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim, is

In a railway track construction, the combination with ties comprisingtransversely arranged metal bars, each of said bars having on oppositesides of the center of its length an upper side tongue extendingupwardly from the body of the tie, of track rails the outer base flangesof which are adapted to extend beneath said tongues, metallic thimblesor sleeves adapted to be slipped on to said tongues when desired, andmeans for retaining the inner flanges of said track rails in connectionwith the ties.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH BLOVER.

Witnesses:

A. L. PHnLPs, E. B. MArninn.

